17-Nov-2015

TrueAllele® mixture analysis places New Orleans killer at crime scene

New Orleans, LA

Christopher Hutsell, a 38 year old homeless New Orleans man, was accused of killing 23 year old Julia 'Zoe' Anderson. The victim was an Indiana native who led a wandering life. She died of a single stab wound to her chest on March 19 in a McDonald's restaurant parking lot.

A DNA mixture was recovered from a water bottle found at the crime scene. TrueAllele showed the mixture to be 50% Hutsell and 25% Anderson, placing them together at the scene. This physical evidence supported eyewitness testimony, and contradicted Hutsell's assertion that he wasn't there.

Cybergenetics Dr. Mark Perlin testified about the TrueAllele results before a New Orleans jury on November 12. The jury convicted Hutsell on November 17 of second-degree murder. Hutsell faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.